Hero Ex-Marine With Prosthetic Legs Saves Baby From Burning Car

Matias Ferreira lost his legs to an IED while on duty in Afghanistan, but you'd never know it from the way he jumped into action on Wednesday.

Ferreira was near the scene of a car crash in Queens, New York, when he heard the urgent voice of a mother calling, "My baby, my baby!" reported the New York Daily News:

Ferreira, 26, thought of his own 11-month-old daughter. He jumped out of the pickup truck he was driving and sprinted on his prosthetic legs into action with his brother and future father-in-law in tow.

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Ferreira credited his time as a Marine for his swift response. He told the Daily News Marine Corps training teaches you to "just react, you don’t freeze," and that in rescuing the child "thankfully we were able to make a difference."

It didn't hurt that neither Ferreira nor his fellow rescuers were sure if the car was on fire, so they knew they had to rush and pull the family inside to safety.

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The Daily News reported that Ferreira's injuries in combat took his legs from the knees down, but with the help of advanced prosthetics he's been able to continue leading an active life. He told the paper that he hoped what he did emphasized that people with similar disabilities have "promise."

We agree, but he's being modest. Courage looks the same on heroes whether they're sprinting into action on the legs they were born with or not.

Ferreira can be seen talking about his experience in Afghanistan and about Homes For Our Troops, a program that aids in adapting residences to the needs of wounded warriors, in the video below.

Marine Lance Corporal Matias Ferreira says a specially adapted home will “build a foundation for the future” for him and his family. He is currently in school for business management and has aspirations to become a New York police officer. Find out more about Matias in this video by Reliant Studios. We will be building him a home in Long Island, New York: hfotusa.org/Ferreira